Obsidian Sunrise
She gently tapped the desk with her hands. A clan intertwined in political maneuvers meant to undermine one of their own. Sometimes the woman wondered why people bothered forming clans. There appeared to be little loyalty if it was so easy to destroy one of their own. Yet here she was in the same organization. As the second-in-command, Tsugumi was privy to the bulk of the happenings within the Black Sun, as well as the village at large. And what didn't make its way to her naturally was uncovered in other manners. Regardless, the leader of the organization remained even more elusive than Tsugumi, leaving her to run the day to day affairs. She sighed, recalling that her sister was a prime target of the faction. A prodigious shinobi crippled in the dawn of her career only to discover a talent for politics. Regardless, Kurumi possessed a wealth of secrets that the village did not want exposed during this peacetime. However, their interest lie in the miraculous recovery of the kunoichi, and more importantly the skills Kuru recently developed. They were all to eager to cultivate the First's power for the village's gain. She sighed again, her brown gaze glaring into nothingness. "Bring me the Right Arm," Tsugumi stated, an anbu in the shadows nodding before disappearing. Sly eyes of amber watched over the many hooded figures of the organization. As bright as the sunset were his strands of hair, and his signature smirk gave away his identity. Takara often stood in the face of his boredom - concealing it with smile - but he was extremely fatigued from standing watch all day. Yes, it was part of his job to oversee the low-ranked members, but he always dreaded wasted time. He enjoyed the times before joining Black Sun, where he was praised for his tremendous skill. He missed the feeling of being seen - he was an invisible force in the organization. An Anbu member appeared beside him, but Takara stood undisturbed. "Right Arm, the Second would like to see you." the anonymous said. Takara could only smile harder. While he dreaded the small things, he did enjoy the company of the Second. He was not only attracted to her voluptuous figure, but her independence and leaderlike qualities. Not wasting another moment, he instantly appeared ad the door to her workstation. Slowly, he entered. Almost immediately, he examined her beautiful features. Dark hair, beautiful brown skin, and her eyes. He read her traits like words in a seemingly never-ending book. "Nice to see you, Second. What do you need?" "Just an empathetic ear," was her response. She had since dispelled the transformation she typically used during Black Sun business. In the place of Black Sun Second-in-Command was Tsugumi Yuri, Heiress of the Yuri Clan. Her blue-gray irises studied him intently, almost bored. "You miss the recognition of being a jōnin in the Kumogakure forces correct?" she asked matter-of-factly. Part of her regarded the simplicity of the main forces with a fondness. Room to make a name for yourself, to forge your own path. Here, there was an order to things, strict guidelines meant to circumvent those in charge. The underworld. Takara was taken aback. He had never had a personal discussion with Tsugumi in all their time working together. Her response almost made his heart stop. She was showing her vulnerability by letting them talk on a level that wasn't strictly business. He took a seat at her desk. "Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I love the structure here. It gives me time to think when there's a specific order to things. But.. going back wouldn't hurt." he admitted truthfully. Ironically, he was once praised by the Raikage, but now they were working against him. A sudden question arose within him. "Why do we do this, Second? We could be viewed as elites, but we're only shadows bound by rumors." Perhaps the time had come for a more candid discussion. "Order isn't everything. Sometimes a little improvisation goes a long way. Yet here we are following orders to the letter. It can be almost suffocating at times," she noted. Even as the second-in-command Tsugumi was not exempt from this structure, having dealt with periodical orders from the one individual above her. Occasionally she would put out feelers to see who this shrouded figure was, but none of them returned. Another political game placed within the original. "Why? Because a village occasionally commits uncouth and seemingly backwards actions. Things that are inhumane, spiteful, and downright evil still transpire within our borders. So this is a way of compartmentalizing that unholy ambition. Poison a part instead of the whole. Even if it appears that we are cannibalizing ourselves." Tsu responded. He didn't really know how to respond to her deep statement. She was just extremely intelligent and observant, conscious with her thoughts and careful with her actions. Takara sighed. "Yeah, I guess. You know, I've heard rumors about who the first-in-command is. I understand that not all rumors hold weight to them, but this one should be a shocker to you." Tsugumi nodded. "Indeed. Rumors tend to hold some truth or what people believe to be true. Nevertheless, more often than not they have little substance. That doesn't mean there aren't things to be gleaned from them. Every lie springs from a kernel of truth. So tell me what these rumors are taught you," she said in response. Calmly pondering just who it might be. A smile appeared on his lips. "The Raikage's niece. She's gone under the radar." He stated with excitement, but he quickly calmed himself, realizing that rumors were nothing to enjoy. Rumors: the starter of wars and the downfall of men. He knew of them too well. He was the subject of many during his youth, when his very own village denied that he was a member of his clan. Many assumed that he was the child of another man, and these rumors would even cause tension between his own parents. Tsugumi's expression did not change. A reaction non-existent as she calmly pondered what this could all mean. It didn't make sense logically. Then again, some of the best con-artists were those who built fantastical stories that no believed, allowing them to do what they would under the public's nose. So she would not dismiss this rumor completely, preferring to weight it for a time in order to judge its merit. That her cousin was the one calling the shots still felt close to the mark in her mind. So it would marinate for a time. "I see." she responded finally before studying Takara's amber gaze, "What do you think of these rumors?"